I Want You For Christmas
by IFeltHope44
Summary: Christmas time has come around again, and the Gaang is excited for the holiday. Katara, though, wants something very special this year. Mostly Zutara. Rated T, just in case. Review, please!


**And here's my Christmas present to all of the Zutarians out there!**

**I AM aware that there is no Christmas in the Avatar world, but that's never stopped anyone before. Without real-world holidays, there'd be a lot less to write about. -shrug-**

**I own nothing! Zuko, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Suki, Aang, Appa, and anything else recognizable else recognizable belong to Mike/Bryan/Nickelodeon!**

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"Oh, wow! Look, Sokka! Snow!" Katara exclaimed, dropping her pile of firewood to catch a falling snowflake in her cupped hands. She squealed excitedly, like a child, and stuck out her tongue to catch one of the frozen falling crystals. They were somewhere in the northern part of the Earth Kingdom, headed back toward Ba Sing Se after a quick visit to the North Pole.

Sokka looked up at the sky and smiled. "Just like back home, huh?" he said quietly.

Katara nodded her response before giggling again. "That means it's almost Christmas time!" she gasped, her breath puffing out in visible clouds.

"So what do you want for Christmas, Katara?" Aang asked cheerfully, taking a break from scrubbing Appa's back with a branch.

Katara pursed her lips, then started, "I-"

"I'm hoping the guy in the red suit brings me a new sword," Sokka interrupted. "I lost mine on the day of Sozin's Comet." His eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted to Zuko, who was tending to their fire.

"Hey, you have a red suit," Sokka said, referring to Zuko's Fire Nation ensemble. "Maybe you can bring me a sword, _Santa_."

Toph snorted. "Hah, yeah!" She plopped herself down on top of his legs, putting on the good-girl expression she had perfected when she lived in Gaoling. "Please, Santa! I want a new dolly for Christmas!" Sarcasm dripped heavily in her voice, and she broke into uncontrolled laughter.

"Get off me!" Zuko scoffed, shoving the miniature earth bending master off his lap. Despite his tone, he couldn't help but smile slightly, his cheeks turning pale red as he saw Katara watching him. Her approving nod added more warmth to his smile, and it was her turn to blush.

"Ooh! My turn!" Suki declared, scampering toward the fire prince, situating herself on one of his knees. "I'd love a new necklace for Christmas," she announced loudly. "I kinda lost my old one in prison." Zuko sighed heavily, and, with the roll of his amber eyes, responded, "Sure. I know you've been a good girl this year." Suki laughed and got up, pleased that he had played along, and stepped lightly back to the pot of rice she had been preparing. Sokka, on the other hand, stood with his mouth agape and his brows knitted together. A rapid stream of wordless, incoherent oppositions were coursing out his mouth, objecting to Suki's minor show of affection toward Zuko.

Suki simply laughed again and silenced him with a quick touch of her lips to his.

"Aang?" Zuko asked wearily. The Avatar walked slowly toward the center of the activity, and the prince cringed.

"Don't worry. I don't want to sit on your lap." Zuko breathed a sigh of relief. "We're all together, the war is over, and peace is returning to the world. What else can you want?" The air bender stretched his arms over his head before returning to his flying bison.

"And...Katara?" Her name felt odd on his tongue. Not in a bad way, but the feeling was foreign and unknown. She laughed nervously, blowing snowflakes off the tip of her nose.

She walked to him, arms crossed and a smug smile on her lips. She stopped just in front of him, shifting her weight to mostly one foot. He stood, towering several inches above her, unable to keep his own smile off his face.

"What do you want for Christmas, water bender?" he asked huskily.

Katara cocked her head to the side, searching his eyes. Then, with deliberate caution, she stretched up on her toes to whisper in his ear, "I want you, Prince Zuko," before kissing his scarred cheek lightly, backing away quickly, and throwing a seductive smirk over her shoulder.

Zuko, nearly immobilized, brought a hand to his cheek where her lips had made contact with his skin. Beneath his hand, he could feel the embarrassing heat rise up his neck and slide across his face. It made his heart hurt as he watched her turn her back.

Toph, aimlessly bending a small rock into different shapes, burst out into obnoxious rumbles of laughter. "Oh, looks like Sparky's got a thing goin' for Sugar Queen!"

A rough growl erupted from Zuko's throat, and he raised a hand, almost as if he were going to strike the girl. "Dude, chillax," she said in a quieter, gentler tone. "In case you couldn't tell, she has the hots for you, too." She stopped, then grinned. "Pun not intended."

"Pun was definitely intended," he objected, blushing even more.

"Yeah," she agreed shamelessly. "But seriously. She really _does_ like you. I can feel your heartbeats, remember? It's actually kinda...cute...how you both feel the same thing."

Zuko was silent for a long while, just listening to their soft breathing and watching the little puffs of white snow fall from the evening sky. At last, he whispered a simple "Thank you."

Toph smile and hit his arm, showing affection her own way, and started to walk back to where Suki and Sokka were sitting. Before she made it too far, she turned and said menacingly, "You tell no one about this conversation. Got it?" T

he prince stuttered his immediate acquiescence to please her, rubbing his sore arm and slipping into deep thought, his mind filled with images of Christmas and snow and a certain water bender.

...

The royal palace was filled with sounds of traditional holiday music and smells of the decadent feast that the cooks had laid out. People milled about the grand rooms of the palace, chatting and dancing and eating with one another. It was Christmas Eve, and people from all four nations mingled in celebration.

Zuko looked around anxiously for his guest of honor, running a hand through his hair; he had kept it just short enough to avoid the traditional topknot. His amber eyes roamed the busy main hall, on the look out for the Southern Water Tribe girl.

Finally, his gaze settled on a figure just outside the balcony doors, reclining against the intricate metal railing, effortlessly bending a stream of snowflakes around herself. Her dark blue Water Tribe dress, cut high up her thighs and low on the throat, was trimmed with white fur and clung gently to her body. T

hat same aching sensation in his heart again, more pronounced than usual.

The crowds parted for him as he hurried to the door, then resumed their previous activities as if he had never interrupted them. He stopped just inside the palace, knocking gently on the heavy metal framework of the door. Katara jumped, surprised, and turned to see who had joined her.

"Zuko!" she exclaimed. He merely held out his arm, his hand suspended in the air. "What are you doing?" Her gaze went to his wrist. "And where did you get my ribbon from?" she asked accusingly, not enjoying the idea of him rifling through her belongings.

"Look closer, Katara," he said softly. Around his wrist he did, in fact, have one of her ribbons tied in a simply bow, a small piece of paper attached to the silky fibers.

_T__o Katara, from Santa. _

She stared at him with large, watery eyes, not sure if she wanted to believe him.

"I'm all yours," Zuko whispered, bringing his hand to the side of her neck and drawing her close. "Merry Christmas, _water bender_," he continued, his voice thick and raw. Rather than letting the girl speak, he brought his lips down to hers, caressing her caramel skin and just barely refraining from shouting with joy as she returned the affection.

Inside, Toph smirked to herself. "Hm. Merry Christmas, Sparky," she said to herself, feeling the harmony of their heartbeats triumph over the commotion of the royal holiday party.

_~Fin~_

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**I finished this at 11:58 on December 25, so technically, I got it done on time. But I thought of the idea, wrote, edited, and published it in a couple of hours.**

**Review, please?**  
**Merry Christmas, Zutarians.**  
**-Erika-**  
**xoxo**


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